Kamaru Usman believes he's best grappler in division, wants Demian Maia next to prove it

SAO PAULO – “The Ultimate Fighter 21” winner Kamaru Usman believes he’s the best grappler in the UFC’s welterweight division, and he wants the chance to prove it against the man many consider to be the best grappler in all of MMA.

“I want to make it a point in my career to kind of just stomp out all those ground guys and let them know that I am the best grappler in the division,” Usman told MMAjunkie. “A win here, I want Demian Maia.”

Usman looks to remain unbeaten in the octagon as he steps in the UFC cage for the fourth time. He’ll meet Alves, a hard-hitting berserker who always opens with a ferocious surge of power.

However, Usman doesn’t believe Alves will be able to push him around.

“The problem is, he knows that I’m a big, strong guy, and I’m not a guy that you can just try to come in and run over,” Usman said. “I can wrestle for days. I can grapple for days. I can go for days. I’m not going to get tired. Hopefully he changes his approach, but if he doesn’t, it might be a short night for him.”

Usman doesn’t currently hold a place in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie MMA welterweight rankings, while Maia checks in at No. 5. It would be a big step up the ladder, especially when Maia is currently in line for a potential shot at the UFC welterweight title.

Usman knows circumstances are simply not in Maia’s favor. And if “The Nigerian Nightmare” can do what he hopes at UFC Fight Night 100, he’d formally like to offer up his services for Maia’s consideration.

“Demain Maia, I know he’s waiting for that title shot, but that’s a circus right now,” Usman said. “You’ve got Woodley with three guys that he’s kind of interchanging with, but I know (Maia) doesn’t want to sit there for a year and wait for them, so you know what? I’ll be a tune-up for him, if he wants that, but that’s definitely who I want next.

On March 19, 2011, 23-year-old Jon Jones brutalized UFC light heavyweight champion “Shogun” Rua to become the youngest titleholder in UFC history. But for Jones, it was only the start of a wild ride that at times spun out of control.